Mika and I were almost home when I heard the siren.

People started sprinting , so we did too. I grabbed her hand and ran home as fast as we could. We had just finished getting popsicles from our favorite smoothie place.

We tried to call her Nana, but she didn’t answer, so we decided to take a selfie instead.  Holding up the phone, I noticed everyone around me was scrambling. It took a second for it to register there was a siren going off and we needed to RUN!

My phone was ringing when we were almost home…I knew it was Summer.  She was home alone. School was cancelled, so she had zoom classes instead.

I didn’t stop to answer, but she was standing with the door open as soon as we arrived.  I was panting and sweating as we headed straight to the mamad…a familiar place these last few days.

That was just after 2:00 Thursday. Earlier that day, I woke up in the basement bedroom after sirens went off the previous night.  The kids had their Zoom classes and I went for a run to try to calm some of the nerves I have been feeling the last few days.  I was surprised at how many people were out and doing their regular routine.  It wasn’t as busy as it usually is, but still a lot of people were out.

There were many kids out because school was canceled.  Mika rode her bike around town that morning.

Jim also went to work and told me they used the stairway at their office for shelter when the siren started that afternoon.  My friend was standing in line at the same smoothie stand we had just left when the siren rang and she went into the restaurant across the street for shelter.

What an experience this has been being under the constant threat of rockets! I’m learning that Israeli’s are familiar with these situations and feel extremely protected by the Iron Dome.  They feel so protected, they just react to the sirens by taking shelter and emerge almost immediately into their daily routine.

I’ve been reading up on the mamads and learned they spend a lot of money on them to make them very safe and able to withstand a direct hit by a rocket.  They are usually built on top of each other in an apartment building.

I’m also hearing from many Israeli’s that the rocket situation is not as concerning to them as the civil unrest on the streets with the Arab-Israeli citizens. 

They represent about 20 percent of the population and there has a been a lot of rioting in cities with Arab-Israeli populations.  They say they HAVE SEEN rockets aimed at them many times, but they HAVEN’T seen this type of conflict play out on the streets.

The nearest Arab-Israeli town to us is Jaffa. 

We have many friends that live there and the girls actually went to school there when we first arrived.   My friend sent me video from her balcony of a car fire the other night. 

There have been other photos of trash on fire in the streets as well as a protest for PEACE

Josh is home now.  Friday has been quiet, so far.  Enjoying the peace in Tel Aviv… hoping it lasts!